Tag Archives: management

Is going to work making you sick? Repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) are conditions caused by placing too much stress on a joint, such as unusual repetitive movements. Most RSIs are linked to the stress of repetitive motions at the computer or overuse injuries in sports, sometimes referred to as repetitive strain injury (RSI) or cumulative trauma disorder. RSIs frequently develop at work. Small, repetitive activities can strain the muscles and tendons of your upper body, including the shoulder.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), repetitive strain injuries are the nation’s most common and costly occupational health problem, affecting hundreds of thousands of American workers, and costing more than $20 billion a year in workers compensation.

Activities that can cause RSI include: use of industrial machinery, use of a computer mouse, swiping items at a supermarket checkout stand and carrying or lifting heavy loads. Chronic shoulder pain often stems from prolonged, repetitive, or awkward movements. This type of pain is sometimes referred to as repetitive strain injury (RSI) or cumulative trauma disorder. RSIs frequently develop at work. Small, repetitive activities can strain the muscles and tendons of your upper body, including the shoulder. Chronic shoulder and neck pain can a result Working long hours at a computer can really take a toll on our bodies.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly two-thirds of all occupational illnesses reported, were caused by exposure to repeated trauma to workers upper body ( the wrist, elbow or shoulder ). One common example of such an injury is carpal tunnel syndrome.

Long term shoulder pain can become a chronic problems if you work on:
– a computer mouse
– industrial equipment
– swiping items at a retail check out
– lifting or carrying leave loads

Often times determining contributing factors can be difficult. Being sedentary such as working at your computer can weaken your muscles, resulting in pain. Often times, as the day goes longer, many tend to get more tired sitting at their computer, resulting in poor posture and pain.

Some of the most common sources for shoulder and upper body pain:

– awkward postures at a desk
– forced pressure on the body
– resting your wrists on a hard edge while typing
– full body vibration while driving machinery
– using your arms above shoulder level i.e. a hair stylist cutting hair
– being exposed to extreme temperature
– when the body holds a position for an extended period of time

Tips to prevent having working become “a pain”:

– try taking frequent breaks to stretch and get moving. It will also clear out your mind for a short mental break. Set a calendar reminder on your computer to remind yourself to take frequent breaks. Giving your eyes a break will help you distress at work. Try refocusing them on a object about 20 feet way periodically throughout the day.

– your computer monitor should be about a shoulder’s length away from you with the top of the monitor at eye level.

– keep the keyboard and monitor directly straight in front of you to avoid long term turning of your neck/head.

– your elbows should be even with your work space. Consider installing an adjustable keyboard and mouse work tray to your desk.

– to give your dominant hand a break, try switching to your other hand to run the mouse on your computer. It will force you to low down a bit which may provide some relief.

– get a phone headset for longer calls to avoid cradling the phone between your neck and shoulder. You can also use you non-dominant hand for phone calls to free up your hands for computer use.

Here are some ways to sit correctly:• feet should be flat on the floor or on a desk foot rest
• hands and wrists should a aligned with your forearms
• thighs should be parallel to the floor
• elbows should be close to your body and supported
• your lower back should be supported
• shoulders should be relaxed

These are a few tips to address pain and discomfort. We recommend seeing your doctor for a examination to determine the root cause and for treatment before trying these tips.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Give a leader power and see how they respond to it.

Leadership is all about power and influence. Leaders use power to get things done. According to psychologist Ronald E. Riggio, there are two general types of power. The first is socialized power. Socialized power is power used to benefit others. Leaders that exercise this type of power are primarily concerned with the best interests of those they serve, not themselves.

The other form of power is called personalized power, and it is using power for personal gain. Personal power can become a problem when it dominates and gains, often at the followers’ expense.

What type of leader are you? And what type of power do you exert?

Business Insider details seven types of power that are present in the workplace:

Coercive Power – where a person leads by threats and force. It is unlikely to win respect and loyalty from employees for long.

Expert Power – the perception that one possesses superior skills or knowledge.

Informational Power – where a person possesses needed or wanted information.This is a short-term power that doesn’t necessarily influence or build credibility.

Reward Power – where a person motivates others by offering raises, promotions, and awards.

Connection Power – where a person attains influence by gaining favor or simply acquaintance with a powerful person. This power is all about networking.

Referent Power – the ability to convey a sense of personal acceptance or approval. People with charisma, integrity and other positive qualities hold it. It is the most valuable type of power.

Being a leader puts you in a position of influence. So how do you keep from letting that power go to your head? Here are four tips to avoid the CEO power-trip:

Be a Man/Woman of Character. As a leader, you will inevitably face competing demands from time to time. The ability to manage these demands with integrity, honesty and selflessness becomes crucial in times like these. Being willing to sacrifice your success, your fortune and even your life takes courage and character.

Stay Attentive. A good leader needs to be accurately informed. Be sure you have all the available facts before deciding anything. Thinking through the potential consequences of your decisions often prevents problems from occurring down the road.

Stay Connected. Having the ability to develop meaningful relationships with others is the most important quality a leader can possess. You gain power through relationships. Developing relationships with key people will expand your sphere of influence, your access to resources and your capacity to make things happen.

Serve Others. One of the greatest attributes of a good leader is your willingness to serve others. This service, however, should come from the heart and be genuine. Putting others’ needs and desires before your own is reflected in the attitude and actions of a good leader.

I doubt I am the only one who gets that feeling in the pit of my stomach when I realize I have been redirected to a company’s call center. Let’s face it, most of us hate call centers. Why? It boils down to our past experiences with customer service.

If you are a business-owner and your company has a call-center, ask yourself these two questions:

Are you getting a lot of complaints from customers about your call center? Or even complaints from your call-center employees about the customers they speak to?

Do you feel that you are missing out on potential sales because of the way your call center functions?

If you answered yes to one or both of these questions, then your call-center needs to step it up.

A call center is usually the first impression customers have of a company. A customer assigns a voice, an attitude, a personality to a company within the first few seconds of their interaction with a company’s call center employee.

Call centers are often an overlooked part of sales and KPIs. If you are looking to improve brand loyalty, then good customer service matters.

As a business-owner, you have to ask yourself the hard questions. Do you have the right staff and training to support your sales strategy? Your talent affects your market value. It is not just the key decision makers who are the most essential people in your company. In fact, your call center is an extension of your sales team. You never know who could be on the other end of the line. It could be someone from Forbes Magazine! How your call center employees handle a telephone call could make or break a customer’s brand loyalty to your company. It really is about how your customers experience your brand daily, consistently.

Running a business is not all about making money. Your company should focus on being consumer-centric if you want to be successful in today’s marketplace.

Baker Creative recognizes that every touch point matters. We partner with your HR management to recruit, develop, communicate, train and retain your talent to think, understand and speak with one voice. Baker Creative is here to help you stand out – to help you realize your company’s full potential. Because when every one of your employees is connected to your company’s mission and vision, anything is possible.

As top executives, it seems everyone comes to you for the answers to their questions. What about your inquiries? CFO’s face a challenge of not having anyone to lean on when they come across an issue or problem. Since you are the CFO, you may not be as comfortable to run to your boss or a fellow chief officer to seek help.

Mentors are great partners to have even if you hold a top executive position. Not only can they talk you through a situation, but they can also be great motivational partners. These people could have been CFOs or simply know the ins and outs of being a chief executive. Board members may not always be available and could have advice that would only benefit them.

Finding a mentor can also be a challenge if you do not have someone close to fit that role. Contacting a person that you are not close with may not be in your best interest. It is also a good idea to meet with a potential mentor in person to have a discussion about partnering together. Discuss what you need help with, what your strengths and weaknesses are and what you are looking for in a mentor.

You have to be ready to want a mentor. Since your goal may be getting advice you have to be willing to take advice. Some may have an issue receiving advice because it may not be what you are expecting to hear. Be open to opinions and think about what is being said before you shut it off completely. If there is a disagreement, talk through it and let your mentor know exactly what is going through your head.

Baker Creative Relativity blog is a great resource from management challenges to personal growth. Baker Creative has management services such as strategic planning; execution and improved communications tailor fit to meet your needs.

As top executives, it seems everyone comes to you for the answers to their questions. What about your inquiries? CFO’s face a challenge of not having anyone to lean on when they come across an issue or problem. Since you are the CFO, you may not be as comfortable to run to your boss or a fellow chief officer to seek help.

Mentors are great partners to have even if you hold a top executive position. Not only can they talk you through a situation, but they can also be great motivational partners. These people could have been CFOs or simply know the ins and outs of being a chief executive. Board members may not always be available and could have advice that would only benefit them.

Finding a mentor can also be a challenge if you do not have someone close to fit that role. Contacting a person that you are not close with may not be in your best interest. It is also a good idea to meet with a potential mentor in person to have a discussion about partnering together. Discuss what you need help with, what your strengths and weaknesses are and what you are looking for in a mentor.

You have to be ready to want a mentor. Since your goal may be getting advice you have to be willing to take advice. Some may have an issue receiving advice because it may not be what you are expecting to hear. Be open to opinions and think about what is being said before you shut it off completely. If there is a disagreement, talk through it and let your mentor know exactly what is going through your head.

With all of the social media tools available to day like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, High5 etc…, how can we really feel secure in our postings? Recently, Twitter was hacked and it was offline for a while. I often wonder if we are sharing all of this content out there are we making ourselves more vulnerable to hackers? And if so can we protect our content?

This could have some serious implications from a reputation management perspective. If a large corporation posted a message into social media and it was manipulated into something quite offensive. The negative implications can be huge.

Miss information can spark feeding frenzies, things like Web forums and newsgroups were the main social communication tool. People would go from Web forum to Web forum to spread news about people or products. Think about it, if the media surfs social media for the inside scoop for new stories, it could end up on the news. For example I was following Oprah when she first started Tweeting. She had mentioned pulling a story because she didn’t want to sensationalize the Columbine shootings. That was a story on my 6:00 local news that very same day.

I also noticed when the Swine Flue first was talked about all types of miss information was populated around. There was such a panic. Now imaging what if your big company who you worked for Twitter account was hacked and it said they were going to go out of business. The workplace would be buzzing with the miss information.

Here are some useful tips:

• Use a different password for your accounts.

• Don’t post all personal information online. Social media is about sharing but not if your passwords are based upon your pet’s names or hometown.

• Security experts advise people to use unique, complex passwords and include a mix of numbers and letters. Free password management programs like KeePass and 1Password can help people.

• Resetting your passwords periodically is a good thing to do as well.

• Write down your user name and passwords and store them in a private space.

• Populate your blog to a variety of web sites to point followers to in case of any breach in security.

• Create a action plan in case there ever is an issue with your account.